This invention relates to the printing and verification of limited edition stamps.
To ensure the quality and authenticity of official United States postage stamps they are printed using a Gravure process. The Gravure process is capable of creating images of very high resolution, way beyond the capabilities of most common printers. The Gravure process is an intaglio process. It uses a depressed or sunken surface etched into a copper cylinder to create the image and the unetched surface of the cylinder representing non-printing areas. The cylinder rotates in a bath of ink and the etched area picks up the ink and transfers it to the media creating the image. Gravure printing is considered excellent for printing highly detailed marks or pictures. High cylinder making expense usually limits use of Gravure rollers to long printing runs. The Gravure process described for printing stamps does not lend itself to economically printing small batches of stamps in small quantities, for example, batches from about of 10 to 10,000. Nor does the Gravure process for printing stamps allow for each individual stamp to be differentiated from the stamp next to it in a sheet. As an example an artist can create an etching and print a limited number of copies. The artist than hand numbers each individual copy as {fraction (1/1,000)}, {fraction (2/1,000)} and so forth. Consumers or collectors who buy the copies then know there are a limited number of copies and what number they have purchased. It would be very desirable in the eye of a stamp collector to be able to buy a sheet of stamps from a limited printing comprised of a block of individually numbered stamps each stamp marked with an individual number such as {fraction (1/10,000)}. The problem with the method that is currently used to produce stamps is it is not possible to economically print stamps with this number feature in small quantities. U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,089 describes a method for adding a distinguishing mark to a sheet of stamps after the stamps have been printed. The problem is the mark is added after the printing and is not part of the original stamp.
Digital printers such as KODAK PS 8650 Color Printer, or a KODAK Photo Printer 4700 are capable of printing stamps economically in small quantities, while meeting the same printing quality requirements previously met using the Gravure process. The advent of digital printing technology now allows the printing of stamps on demand in small quantities at remote locations. Digital printing technologies allow stamps to be printed from digital files stored on servers. The stamp image files can be downloaded to remote printing locations and printed on site in small quantities on demand. Commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/359,152, filed Jul. 22, 1999, entitled xe2x80x9cAuthorizing the Printing of Digital Imagesxe2x80x9d by Patton et al describes a method for sending a digital image file to an authorizing agency. This reduces the time and cost required producing stamps. It also allows the USPO to offer larger number of choices of images from which the public can choose for a stamp. This is possible because the stamp image can exist as files and not as etchings on expensive Gravure cylinders. Commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/378,159, filed Aug. 19, 1999, entitled xe2x80x9cSystem for Customizing and Ordering Personalised Postage Stampsxe2x80x9d by Patton et al describes a method for selecting stamps from a digital image file located on a server at an authorizing agency. Using digital technology enables the USPO to offer the consumer a library of image from which to choose. The consumer is able to select what image they want printed as a stamp and how many they want from a library of stamp images stored on a server. A problem that arises with the printing of stamps from image files at remote post office locations is the increased possibility of having counterfeit stamps being printed at unauthorized locations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,718 discloses using an encrypted message based upon the postage amount and the mail address as a method to insure authenticity of the postage. U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,555, discloses a postage applying system where the device used for printing of postage and the accounting unit are separated from one another by an unsecured link and the authenticity of the postage is insured by encryption. Both of these patents disclose printing of postage using a device such as an off-the-shelf printer. The postage is printed directly onto the envelope or onto a label, which is adhered to the envelope. The postage printed is akin to postage printed using a postage meter. When the postage is printed using an off-the-shelf printer and not a secured postage meter, an encryption scheme as described in the patents previously set forth is used. There are several problems with using off-the-shelf printers and the method described. The postage consists of a two-dimensional bar code and sometimes indicia. The indicia printed using this method are typically very rudimentary and are no more than line drawings. These printers do not have means for insuring that the quality and detail are properly maintained to meet the standards required of an official postage stamp. Also if a user or printer makes a mistake when printing the postage the value of the stamp may be lost or difficult for the consumer to obtain reimbursement.
When printing limited edition stamps that are individually numbered using a printer at a remote location, there is a problem of knowing what numbers have been previously used. For example if the USPO wanted to offer 10,000 stamps to be printed as a limited edition. The consumer can go into any US Post Office and request a sheet of stamps until the 10,000 stamps have been printed. Each stamp on the sheet of stamps must be individually numbered with a unique number. How does each individual post office and each printer, when there is more than one printer, know what number have already been used to print stamps.
Another problem with the existing stamp printing process is that it is not easy or economical to be able to offer stamps for sale for a specific period of time. For example, the US Post Office would like to offer a stamp that would be available to the consumer only from July 1 to September 30.
The present invention is directed to limited edition stamps and a method for producing them, which overcome the problems of the prior art.
The above, and other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying detailed description thereof when considered in conjunction with the following drawings.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of printing limited edition official postal stamps from a plurality of different printers, the limited edition official postal stamps each having a unique ID, a visible indicia identifying said limited edition official postal stamp as being a limited edition and a second indicia not capable of being scanned which is not visible under normal viewing conditions for confirming that said limited edition official postal stamp is a valid limited edition official postal stamp, comprising the steps of:
allocating a selected number of said unique IDs to one of said plurality of different printers; and
printing said selected number of limited edition official postal stamps with said unique IDs by said one printer.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided A method of printing limited edition official postal stamps from a plurality of different locations, the limited edition official postal stamps each having a unique ID, a visible indicia identifying said limited edition official postal stamp as being a limited edition and a second indicia not capable of being scanned which is not visible under normal viewing conditions for confirming that said limited edition official postal stamp is a valid limited edition official postal stamp comprising the steps of:
allocating said unique IDs for a selected number of limited edition official postal stamps to one location of said plurality of different locations; and
printing said selected number of limited edition official postal stamps at said one location.